Wewalthalawa Plateau of Halgolla Tea Estate
Sri Lanka is known for its world-famous tea production, an industry that employs more than a million of its citizens. The country’s humidity, regular rainfall and cool temperatures provide ideal growing conditions for the plant. The teas grown on Wewalthalawa Plateau as part of the Halgolla Tea Estate benefit from being in an area with one of the highest recorded rainfalls in the country.
How To Get There
The plateau lies at the centre of a ring of mountains, around an hour’s drive out of Kitulgala. To get to the plateau, visitors should begin their journey from the Halgolla Tea Factory. In the past, the factory charged a small fee from vehicles travelling to Wewalthalawa, in order to generate funds for the maintenance of the road. However, today, prior permission needs to be obtained before setting out. The road winds through alternating tea fields and expanses of forests, providing glimpses of gorgeous scenery as the journey continue onward. Halfway through, travellers will encounter the Dripping Rock, a vertical rock face with a stream of water at its top that drips down to hit the rocks below.
Upon reaching the flat top of Wewalthalawa Plateau at a height of 2,800 feet, visitors will notice a few buildings (including a school) in the area, but that the majority is covered in tea plants with gorgeous views all around. The area is best visited between February and April.
